The present invention relates to plastic containers especially for retention of fluids, and more particularly, to preforms and containers designed to have a marked or otherwise communicative internal wall, preferably for playing a game.
These containers may be prepared from a preform which may be injection or extrusion molded, followed by blow molding the preform into a suitably shaped container using a blow mold having the desired shape. Typical thermoplastic materials are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyolefins, etc., although others can be used.
The container may be box-shaped, a jar, or a can, to be closed by a lid, by shaping the same directly or from a preform, as is known in the art. As a preferred embodiment, the container and the preform from which it is prepared generally includes a neck portion with a cap retaining means, a shoulder portion depending therefrom, a side wall or main body portion depending from the shoulder portion and a bottom portion joined to the side wall and depending therefrom.
Containers with which games are played may include the outside container wall and/or the cap as the focus of the game. If a game is involved, the container wall and cap communicate the results of the game to the consumer of the beverage or the like. If the consumer wins, he/she may turn in the container or the cap and receive a prize. However, the container art, while including some patents having internal members for various purposes, fail to include internal members directed toward playing a game such as provided herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,066 describes a blow molded plastic bottle having neck, a side wall and a base, and including an internal member termed a spider attached to the side wall of the bottle which is said to increase the strength of the bottle. The bottle is formed from an injection molded preform, an integral portion of which the said spider is a part. A blown bottle is then made containing several compartments separated by the spider, which may also reinforce the side wall.
One purpose of this invention is to provide an improved preform and an economical and aesthetically pleasing bottle made therefrom, which bottle may have an internal member attached to the container and including thereon, the results of a game to be played by a consumer.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved plastic preform for forming an improved blow molded plastic container for playing a game.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.